Strong Start For Team USA
Scholarship Drivers In International Series OpenerJanuary 11, 2004

Timaru, New Zealand (January 11,
2004) – Joe D’Agostino led the
Team USA Scholarship charge in
this afternoon’s opening two
races of the Talley’s
International Formula Ford
Series at Levels Raceway.
D’Agostino led most of the first
race before having to settle for
second, and followed up with a
sixth-place finish later in the
day.

Charlie Kimball finished a
strong fourth in Race One and
was challenging for third midway
through the second race when his
gearbox abruptly failed. Ryan
Millen, in the third Canterbury
Motor Racing School-prepared
Team USA Scholarship car, posted
two stunning charges from lowly
grid positions. He was running
seventh in the first race until
making mistake on the final lap,
and finished a strong fifth in
the next race, just ahead of
D’Agostino.

The first 10-lap race was
action-filled. The initial
attempt at a start was annulled
almost immediately when national
championship leader Brendon
Hartley was involved in a huge
accident at the first corner.
The 14-year-old was fortunate to
escape uninjured. The race was
red-flagged, which actually was
good news for polesitter
D’Agostino, who had a little too
much wheelspin when the lights
went green and was beaten into
the first corner by Chris Pither.

Not so at the restart.
D’Agostino timed his launch
perfectly, held the lead into
the first corner and quickly
began to pull away. Pither,
meanwhile, had lost a little
ground in attempting to pass
D’Agostino, and instead fell to
third behind fellow teenager
Andy Knight, who put up a solid
defense which further played
into D’Agostino’s hands.

"I was gone," declared
D’Agostino. "I was walking away
with it and then, unfortunately,
the safety car came out."

The full-course caution had been
triggered by another crash. Soon
after the restart, troubled by
oversteer, D’Agostino lost out
to Pither who, had earlier
passed Knight in controversial
circumstances [see notes below].
Pither held on to win by less
than a half-second. Knight, also
driving for John Crawford’s
Canterbury Motor Racing School
team, finished third, while
Kimball took fourth after a
terrific duel with Simon Gamble.

"I really enjoyed that race and
learned a lot," said Kimball.

Millen, meanwhile, had charged
impressively from 12th on the
grid and was putting pressure on
Tim Edgell for sixth when he
made a mistake on the final lap
and spun into the tires.

"I took a lot of chances and it
didn’t pay off in the end,"
admitted Millen. "Honestly,
though, I enjoyed that race much
more even than winning the South
Island Championship last year. I
just made a mistake at the end
and left my braking too late and
went off. I’m better than that,
but unfortunately I made a
mistake."

Millen was able to redeem
himself in race two, making up
two places at the start from
10th on the grid and quickly
moving up onto the tail of
D’Agostino, who was hindered by
a problem in selecting first
gear. Millen made the pass at
half-distance and then tried all
he could to find a way past
Edgell, but to no avail.

"He made that car really wide,"
said Millen, who was nonetheless
delighted to finish fifth. "Some
days you can win both races but
not learn much. Days like today
are when you feel like you
really did something."

The 15-lap second race was won
by Pither, who grasped the early
lead in the International
Championship which offers a host
of valuable prizes for the
winners. Pither, 16, also moved
into the lead of the Talley’s
New Zealand Formula Ford
Championship after his double
success. Veteran Kenny Smith
finished second after starting
from pole.

* The results of the first race
were held in abeyance for
several hours while the race
stewards investigated an
incident wherein Pither
reportedly passed Knight while
yellow flags were waving on the
corner. A protest was filed and
both D’Agostino and Kimball were
called as witnesses. Both
drivers said they had seen the
flags, but the stewards
eventually allowed the results
to stand, since official
observers on the turn had
reported no infraction.

* The Team USA Scholarship
drivers will spend the next few
days relaxing and sightseeing on
the scenic New Zealand South
Island before reconvening at the
world’s most southerly race
track, Teretonga Park, near
Invercargill, for next weekend’s
prestigious New Zealand Prix
Grand..

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